There has been a church building on Pip n Jay's site for nearly a thousand years. When this was first built, nobody could have guessed the global significance and rich history of the church, and the city of Bristol which would surround it.
Pip n Jay in the 1960s and '70s
As we have been seeking God's will for our future, long serving Pip n Jay members have also shared inspiration from the past.
An authentic source of the story of Pip n Jay's development in the 1960s and '70s is this series of talks given by the late Rev Malcolm Widdecombe in 1975, part of the extensive church audio archive curated by Steve March.
The Reverend Canon Malcolm Widdecombe, Pip n Jay's most recent vicar, died peacefully at his home on October 12th. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, which later spread to his brain, shortly after his retirement in May 2009. His ministry at Pip n Jay spanned five decades, and he will be sadly missed by hundreds of people whose lives he greatly influenced.
Our sympathy is extended to his wife, Meryl, the three children, Sean, Roger and Fiona, their families and his sister Ann.
A thanksgiving service was held on Thursday 21st October at Pip n Jay. It includes tributes from the Bishop of Bristol, Rt Rev Mike Hill, Rev Roger Widdecombe and a number of people who have worked with Malcolm at Pip n Jay.
In October 2009 a small banner was added to the pulpit. Voirrey Guy shares the story behind it, and the effect she hopes it will have:
This design came from a sculpture by Jonathan Hemingray. As I stitched, I realised that God was directing every idea I had and every part of the design had a purpose and a meaning: a communication to us as the people of God as well as individuals.
I struggled for ages with making it just white. But the words holiness then purity kept coming into my mind. I believe that is to remind us that we have a Holy God who we should not treat casually. Equally, we are a holy people and the word purity reminds us to keep ourselves in the world but not of it. As I got closer to finishing, I noticed it had a bridal quality and I believe that this reinforces that we are the pure Bride of Christ.
The circle represents God the Father;
the cross, God the Son;
and the flame, God the Holy Spirit as a purifying flame or cleansing water.
Pip n Jay is in the centre of Bristol, an exciting city which has seen massive development and change over the years. The history of Bristol laid some foundations for the city we are today, so we have read up on this history to make sense of what's going on now...
History
This design came from a sculpture by Jonathan Hemingray. As I stitched, I realised that God was directing every idea I had and every part of the design had a purpose and a meaning: a communication to us as the people of God as well as individuals.
